For the
past couple of years, I have spent a lot of time on my personal
development. I find that the more I learn about myself, the more I
want to know. It never ends!
It took
me more than 4 years to gain clarity on my strengths and my values,
and how I want to experience my journey as a leader to create
positive change in manufacturing environments. Many times the
negative little voice in my head has pushed my limits by asking:
"Who are you, a girl from a small village in Austria, to think that
you can change the mindset in the manufacturing industry in North
America?" Countless times I have let myself become discouraged from
this nagging inner voice. Numerous times I had to
convince myself that I see things others can't see just yet, and I
have often questioned my potential to make it
happen.
The amazing thing is that every time
you fall there is a lesson to be learned, and when you learn, it's
time to get up and give it another try.
As a leader, how many times do you
allow yourself to make mistakes? How many times do you allow the
people around you to make mistakes?
My grandma in Austria always used to
say...., "Make mistakes, just don't make the same mistake twice.
Mistakes are there to learn and if you are open-minded, you will
learn the lesson behind it."
To this day I take her advice to heart
and it has served me well many times.
Over the years, I certainly had to
learn my lessons and every lesson I learned has taken me one step
closer to my goal.
I have learned to silence my little
voice.
I have learned to believe in myself
and what's possible.
I have learned to trust my female
intuition.
I have learned to understand the value
I have to offer.
I have learned to conquer my
fears.
I have learned to see obstacles and
roadblocks as opportunities to learn and to grow.
I have learned that nobody can get to
the next level without experiencing adversity.
And last but not least, I have learned
that the power of inspiration can move people from mediocre to
excellence.
Part of my development is to read many
books on leadership, motivation, workforce engagement, training and
coaching. You may agree that there is nothing new under the sun in
these books, but there are certainly many things that we may
already know, yet we don't put into practice.
Knowing does not equal doing, and I
think all of us still have a lot of potential to turn our knowledge
into action. Did you know that we judge others by their actions
but we judge ourselves by our
intentions?
It took me a while, but finally I
started to understand. Leadership is a journey and not a
destination. We have to experience certain lessons first and these
lessons cannot be learned from books. That's why these lessons are
called life lessons.
The attributes of true leadership are
honesty and integrity, authenticity, responsibility, the will to
inspire and act, passionate communication skills, the drive to
innovate and create, to name a few.
However, I believe the real stuff
leaders are made of is when they live their values out loud.
That's where leadership has its roots. That's when a leader becomes
inspiring. That's when leadership is real.
Every leader in history has had his or
her challenges and they all learned to face their fears and
overcome their obstacles. Reading their biographies is very
inspiring and insightful.
What do you stand for and is it
inspiring for other people?
What do you believe in and how do you
show that?
What keeps you awake at night and do
you allow yourself to be vulnerable enough to let other people
know, so that they can help you to find a solution?
In my life, I have come to the
realization that I cannot teach anything to other people if I don't
live it myself. I cannot expect anything from other people if I
don't set my own standards first. Is it easy? Certainly not.
However, I make every effort to raise the bar higher for myself
than anyone else would. I try to do my best to lead by
example.
It is my strong belief that we have to
develop more leaders. Interestingly, these leaders do not need to
have a title. I believe we have enough followers. We need more
people who set a great example in the way they lead their personal
and professional life. If individuals become aware how much their
attitudes and behaviours impact the people around them, they will
want to learn more about themselves and that's the stuff true
leaders are made off.
By making every effort to be the best
person you can be every single day, you will lead by example and
you will see that others will want to follow.
Be the BEST You Can Be!
Karin